As of now we have a tentative release date of November 2014. There is the possibility that the publisher will move the release date up to spring 2014 to coincide with season 4 of Game of Thrones, but that's still undecided.

Of interest to me regarding TWoI&F is how it will dance around the critical plotline information that will be contained in TWoW and ADoS. It seems that, via BR, Bran, CoTF, the Others and the weirnet, many "historical" complexities (horns blown, candles lit, physics-defying walls, dragon dances, R'hlorr vs Other vs Old Gods, etc) will come into play in these books as the chaos builds. If this compendium of all things in the GRRMverse does come out before TWoW & ADoS, how will it not spoil them? Please note that Tolkien's Silmarillion came out many years after the tale was told, as the author refined the "facts" and historical lore per the completed books....Having the GRRMarillion come out before the tale is completely told seems to be a conflict of interest.

What we heard so far is that is is not going to be a tell all kind of book. It will have diffent accounts of the same history told by diffent points of view. well placed ink spills and missing pages like an old book. It will have tons of new info but noting that would spoil anything in TWow, and if its anything like RR's other works it will give us more questions than answers and I cant wait

The world book is actually set before the series begins, and describes the world at that point and its history leading up to that. The conceit is that it's an actual in-Westeros book given to Robert Baratheon some time after he became king but (obviously) before he died and AGoT takes place. The new information will be expanding rather massively on historical events, including the Dance of Dragons, War of the Ninepenny Kings, Blackfyre Rebellions and Aegon's invasion.

I suspect the 'GRRMarillion' will delve much more into what would now be considered spoiler material, particularly about the Children of the Forest, Others and ancient backstory (which is what The Silmarillion was to LotR, after all). However, that's also (I imagine) why it's coming out after the series is done, because then GRRM doesn't need to hold back on anything.

This is pretty standard: the Wheel of Time companion book described the situation just before The Eye of the World began. The Shannara book I think was set in a gap between two of the later series, but then Shannara isn't one massive story. Riftwar's companion book came out after the series was done, but was also crap.

The world book is actually set before the series begins, and describes the world at that point and its history leading up to that. The conceit is that it's an actual in-Westeros book given to Robert Baratheon some time after he became king but (obviously) before he died and AGoT takes place. The new information will be expanding rather massively on historical events, including the Dance of Dragons, War of the Ninepenny Kings, Blackfyre Rebellions and Aegon's invasion.

Thanks, ser! Given your "given to Robert" description, may I dare say it is sort of like JKR's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", then (bequeathed to Hermoine)? Sort of like Ned reading the Baratheon history ("black of hair, etc..) or Jaime reading the KingsGuard white book.....

I suspect the 'GRRMarillion' will delve much more into what would now be considered spoiler material, particularly about the Children of the Forest, Others and ancient backstory (which is what The Silmarillion was to LotR, after all). However, that's also (I imagine) why it's coming out after the series is done, because then GRRM doesn't need to hold back on anything.

I doubt that is the reason. The material that is being "held back" was written for the WORLD Book, after all.

I suspect one reason it is being "held back" is because "world-building" is a never-ending trap; and GRRM has promises to keep.

If it was ASoIaF: The Short Fiction Vol 1 than yes, but I think GRRM wants to keep the focus on D&E.

But why not make it The Short Fiction Vol1? There is a demand to have all D&E stories in the same volume, just the 3 novellas would be too little for a book and it is going to be years before the 4th becomes available, but there is all that almost finished, fresh material just sitting there. Why not throw us a bone? Thematically, it fits too, both novellas and ADotD stuff being the background of House Targaryen and their 2 (series of) civil wars prior to RR....

And yes, Ran, I know that AWoIaF remains true to it's initial brief, it just drives me crazy that there is all that _already written_ stuff that interests me more than, say, the art, and that is being relegated to staying in the drawer for the next decade or so, until, the stars willing, the series is complete.

I don't think there are tons of written stuff laying around, and if it is, its being put in the story that George is writing right now. The world book is almost done I think and most of Georges other side prodjects are done. I would rather him focus on the main story than tell us stuff that could wait. So I hope other side projects can wait.

Yeah, I don't know that the GRRM-arillion idea is floated as something that might happen in the future primarily because of spoilers; in fact, most of the material I've seen aimed for it is simply historical stuff about the Targaryens. I expect George will flesh that out and expand on it if he does, in the end, decide to do the GRRM-arillion, but right now I don't imagine he supposes it'll do anything more than be a much more exhaustive setting history.

Yeah, I don't know that the GRRM-arillion idea is floated as something that might happen in the future primarily because of spoilers; in fact, most of the material I've seen aimed for it is simply historical stuff about the Targaryens. I expect George will flesh that out and expand on it if he does, in the end, decide to do the GRRM-arillion, but right now I don't imagine he supposes it'll do anything more than be a much more exhaustive setting history.

so the World Book will be more or less a history book on the Targs?

could been pretty good I suppose. Do you know if their will be a digital version of the book? I stopped buying paper copies of books a few years back

Yeah, I don't know that the GRRM-arillion idea is floated as something that might happen in the future primarily because of spoilers; in fact, most of the material I've seen aimed for it is simply historical stuff about the Targaryens. I expect George will flesh that out and expand on it if he does, in the end, decide to do the GRRM-arillion, but right now I don't imagine he supposes it'll do anything more than be a much more exhaustive setting history.

That's the downside of the GRRM-arillion nickname. People assume it will be Martin's version of the Silmarillion, and will be disappointed if it doesn't include a history of the world from the dawn age to present.

That's the downside of the GRRM-arillion nickname. People assume it will be Martin's version of the Silmarillion, and will be disappointed if it doesn't include a history of the world from the dawn age to present.

I think that A Song of Ice and Fire is GRRM's equivalent of the Silmarillion in literary terms.

The Silmarillion was always Tolkien's main work, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were lesser works that he was able to spin off from it, which GRRM's equivalent would be the World of Ice and Fire, the Princess and the Queen and Dunk and Egg.

Hopefully, unlike Tolkien, GRRM will actually be able to finish his main work.

Yeah, I don't know that the GRRM-arillion idea is floated as something that might happen in the future primarily because of spoilers; in fact, most of the material I've seen aimed for it is simply historical stuff about the Targaryens.

I don't mean to be argumentative but anything published about the Targaryens would most likely contain some info about the effects of certain horns, of greyscale origination/proliferation, of dragon bonding/training, etc...which would be very spoilery, imho. (Don't blow it, Vic!!!!) I'm sure there will be an attempt to dance around these concepts but I wonder how these ancient stories shall be told without engaging in prophecy. I've intentionally avoided the current TP&tQ thread until Dec 3 because of possible spoilers but I assume we are all looking forward to clues like I identified above (easter Aegs?) within any new short story.

I actually think it was Anne Groell who coined the GRRM-arillion name when George looked at the reams of unpublishable stuff and was discussing it with her. I wouldn't read anything too deeply in it besides both works being historically-minded texts about their respective settings.

I only say: please, grab my money. I'll gladly pay, today, five pounds for a sketch of the complete Targaryen family tree. Five more for the Starks. Ten if they send me the Princess and the Queen by mail. Fifty to read the whole account of the Dance. I honestly believe they are neglecting a business opportunity here.

I think it highly likely that there'll be an e-book edition, but I can't say it with absolute certainty as I haven't asked. It just seems very unlikely that they can publish something like A Feast of Ice and Fire as an e-text, and not this book. I will say our contract includes digital rights.

I actually think it was Anne Groell who coined the GRRM-arillion name when George looked at the reams of unpublishable stuff and was discussing it with her. I wouldn't read anything too deeply in it besides both works being historically-minded texts about their respective settings.

IIRC, GRRM has repeated the GRRMarillion thing at least once at a convention appearance. But I'm not trying to disagree with your general point.